Bridgestone Celebrates 60th Anniversary of its Motorsport Activities

Bridgestone Corporation today announced its 2023 motorsport plan. Bridgestone celebrates the 60th anniversary of its motorsport activities in 2023, and this year, the company will continue to support various domestic and overseas motorsports, ranging from top-level professional race series to grassroots amateur races, primarily by supplying Bridgestone POTENZA tires and Firestone FIREHAWK tires for car races, and Bridgestone BATTLAX tires for motorcycle races. Also, placing sustainability at the core during this memorial year, the company is challenging to evolve global motorsport activities in a new way and to build Bridgestone brand as a “sustainable global premium brand”, as well as “supporting the global motorsport culture.”

Bridgestone has been repeatedly challenged to support the movement of cars with safety and peace of mind under the company’s fundamental principle, “tires carry life,” in races where drivers are repeatedly challenging under extreme conditions and situations. In challenges to the extreme, the company has been polished up its pride and passion as Bridgestone, the four “Bridgestone DNA” – “Focus on quality,” “Respect for being on-site,” “Being attentive and supportive of customer problems,” and “Challenging spirit,” technology, comprehensive operational capability, brand power, and human resources development.

In the future, the company is strengthening the sustainable global motorsport activities to achieve the extreme in approach of sustainability to realize the carbon neutrality and circular economy, taking a big step toward “the global journey to the extreme” again, and contributing to the development of safe, with peace of mind, and fun car, motorcycle, and motorsport cultures. Through these challenges, by providing “Driving Excitement” in 10 years, 20 years, and beyond, the company strives to achieve its corporate commitment for “Emotion: Committed to inspiring excitement and spreading joy to the world of mobility” described in its “Bridgestone E8 commitment,”^*1 and enjoy motorsport, earn emotion and empathy, and promote co-creation for sustainable future together with many partners.

In Japan, Bridgestone supplies tires for SUPER GT car races and All Japan Road Race Championship motorcycle races. Overseas, Bridgestone’s Firestone brand is the exclusive tire supplier for the NTT INDYCAR® SERIES^*2 in North America. Other overseas races supplied with Bridgestone tires include the Endurance World Championship (EWC), the world’s foremost series of endurance motorcycle races by Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Also, the company supplies tires for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Cup, the intense car competition race on mass production tire and grassroots motorsports, including the All-Japan Gymkhana Championship and Mazda’s grassroots motorsport races. Bridgestone will continue to advance and refine its technologies, comprehensive capability, and brand power through various races including top-level races around the globe that require maximum tire performance under extreme conditions and situations, as well as providing “driving excitement.”

As the sustainable global motorsport activities, the company supports the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge,^*3 a world-leading solar car race held in Australia, for which it has been the title sponsor since 2013. In recognition for these activities, the Bridgestone motorsport initiatives have been awarded the prestigious Three Star of Environmental Accreditation from FIA, Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, the not-for-profit world governing body of motor sport. ^*4 Moreover, in 2023 Bridgestone becomes an official partner and sponsor of the Bridgestone FIA ecoRally Cup,^*5 an international competition for road production vehicles with an electric drivetrain by FIA, thereby expanding its role in supporting sustainable global motorsport activities.

Furthermore, Bridgestone is pleased to announce two new activities in celebration of its 60th anniversary of its motorsport activities. The first is the establishment of Bridgestone eMotorsport Institute, which will offer eMotorsport lessons by professional racing drivers. The second is the launch of the POTENZA Circuit Challenge, PCC, an open-participation event that offers beginners the opportunity to take their first drive around the circuit. Through such initiatives that combine real and digital racing, Bridgestone aims to broadcast the appeal and enjoyment of motorsport and to broaden the base of motorsport fans.

【Main Motorsport activities in 2023】　※Bolded items are newly supported and held from this year.

【Projects to commemorate the 60^th anniversary of motorsport activities】

• Bridgestone eMotorsport Institute
• POTENZA Circuit Challenge

Source: Bridgestone